Vijaya Ekda

Issue no: 6

15th February 2015

According to all the revealed scriptures, the rmad Bhgavatam is inconceivable, beyond mundane
understanding. Its meaning cannot be understood either by scholarship or penance. One who is
not a devotee of Krishna, no matter how a great scholar he may be, will never understand rmad
Bhgavatam.
-- Caitanya-bhgavata, Madhya-khaa 22.13-14

Features
RMAD-BHGAVATAM IS THE SOLUTION FOR
ALL THE PROBLEMS OF HUMAN SOCIETY
His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Prabhupada

ADI
SHANKARACHARYA
BHGAVATAM
Adikesava Dasa

AND

SRIMAD

HOW ARE THE CONFIDENTIAL MYSTERIES OF

RMAD BHGAVATAM REVEALED?
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur
BHGAVATA PURNA UPROOTS THE DEMONIAC
INFLUENCE IN SOCIETY
Srila Jiva Goswami
UNCOMMON MERCY
The story of Rasikananda

Issue no 6, Page 2

nitya bhgavata-sevay
for the suffering men in the world, proposes to
speak on the rmad Bhgavatam first and last.
rmad Bhgavatam 3.8.3 Purport

ADI SHANKARACHARYA AND SRIMAD

BHGAVATAM
Adikesava Dasa

RMAD-BHGAVATAM IS THE SOLUTION FOR ALL

THE PROBLEMS OF HUMAN SOCIETY
His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
The sage Maitreya proposed to speak on rmad
Bhgavatam because it was especially compiled,
and traditionally comes down in the disciplic
succession, for the solution of all the problems of
human society. Only one who is fortunate can have
the opportunity to hear rmad Bhgavatam in the
association of pure devotees of the Lord. Under
the spell of material energy, the living entities are
entrapped in the bondage of many difficulties
simply for the sake of a little bit of material happiness.
They engage in fruitive activities, not knowing the
implications. Under the false impression that the
body is the self, the living entities foolishly relate
to so many false attachments. They think that
they can engage with materialistic paraphernalia
forever. This gross misconception of life is so
strong that a person suffers continually, life after
life, under the external energy of the Lord. If one
comes in contact with the book Bhgavatam as
well as with the devotee bhgavata, who knows
what the Bhgavatam is, then such a fortunate
man gets out of the material entanglement.
Therefore Sri Maitreya Muni, out of compassion

Srila Jiva Goswami proves the importance and

authority of rmad Bhgavatam by pointing to its
great popularity and referring to some of the excellent
commentaries on it by the ancient and modern
scholars, such as Hanumad-bhya, Vasn-bhya,
Sambandhokti, Vhat-kmadhenu, Tattva-dpik,
Bhvrtha-dpik, Paramahasa-priya and
uka-hdaya. He also refers to Tantra-Bhgavata,
which is mentioned as a commentary on rmad
Bhgavata in Hayar-pancartra and mentions
several other works on the rmad Bhgavatam.

The question is sometimes asked why
Sripad Shankaracharya did not accept Bhgavatam
as Vyasadeva's own commentary on Brahma-stra.
In reply to this r Caitanya-caritmta quotes a
shloka from the Padma Pura, according to
which Sripad Shankaracharya was an incarnation
of Lord Shiva, the prince of devotees, who himself
devotionally inclined at heart, but whose special
mission in coming down to this world in the role of
an crya was to misguide the people at the behest
of God by wrongly interpreting stras with the help
of laka-vtti of words (Caitanya-caritmta,
Madhya-ll 6.13) He did not explicitly accept
rmad Bhgavatam, because he knew it contained
teachings which were decidedly above his own,
and he did not want to misinterpret it as he did in
the case of the other stras because he considered
it to be the most sacred to God. But his real love for
Bhgavatam is evinced by his occasional references
to the pastimes of Krishna in his Govindaka and
other similar works, as also by some of his hymns
which echo the ideas contained in the Bhgavata.

The fact that the Bhgavata was
recognized as Sri Vyasadevas own commentary
on Brahma-stra is the reason why Sri Chaitanya
or any of the six Goswamis did not, like the
other Acaryas, try to base their philosophy on
an original commentary on Brahma-stra.

rmad Bhgavatam is thus the foundation
stone of the philosophy of Sri Chaitanya. He
clearly states this while reprimanding Devananda,
a scholar of Nadiya, for his careless study of the
Bhgavatam. The writings of Sri Rupa, Sanatana,

nitya bhgavata-sevay

Issue no 6, Page 3
HOW ARE THE CONFIDENTIAL MYSTERIES OF
RMAD BHGAVATAM REVEALED
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur
Prabhupada

Sripad Adi Shankaracharya

Jiva, Vrindavana Dasa and Kaviraj Goswami are

also characterized by a faithful dependence on this
great Pura and are replete with references from
it. Some of these such as the bhgavatmta of
Sanatana and Sakepa-bhgavatmta of Rupa
are apparently works on rmad Bhgavatam itself.
The sandarbhas of Jiva Goswami were designed to
be a commentary on selected portions of rmad
Bhgavatam, as the name Bhgavata sandarbha,
originally given to them by the author, indicates.
Sri Jiva also wrote a running commentary on the
Bhgavatam which was called Krama-sandarbha.

The contents of rmad Bhgavatam
are classified by Sri Chaitanya under three
heads: sambandha, abhidheya and prayojana.
Sambandha, which means relation, treats of the
relationship between Jva, world and vara. But
since Jiva and the world are the manifestations of
the cit and acit potencies of vara, sambandha-jna primarily means knowledge of the complete
personality of vara, and sambandha-prpti
the realization of our true relationship with Him.
Abhidheya means the way that leads to attainment of
this relationship and prayojana the purpose for which
the relationship is sought. vara, conceived in all His
perfection, is sambandha; Bhakti is abhidheya; and
Prema is prayojana. This classification is extended
by Sri Chaitanya to the other scriptures as well.
From the book "The Philosophy & religion of Lord Sri Chaitanya" by
Adikesava Dasa

According to the statements of the sages headed by

Saunaka, Sri Suta Goswami has been established
as sinless. It is understood that he was not born
in a sinful or outcaste family. But the fruitive
workers who follow an incomplete portion of
a branch of Vedic literature consider him a nonbrahmana outcaste and devoid of any saskras.
Thus they neglect the spiritual master and commit
offence. That is why Sri Vyasadeva has recorded
the word anagha, or sinless, spoken by the sages
while describing Sri Suta Goswami in order to set
an example for his successor cryas. Sri Suta
Goswami gave up his identification with a lower
family and took shelter of Sri Sukadeva Goswami.
Because of accepting subordination to the spiritual
master he became qualified to hear rmad
Bhgavatam(10.14.3):
jne praysam udapsya namanta eva
jvanti san-mukharit bhavadya-vrtm
sthne sthit ruti-gat tanu-v-manobhir
ye pryao 'jita jito 'py asi tais tri-lokym
Those who, even while remaining situated in
their established social positions, throw away
the process of speculative knowledge and with
their body, words and mind offer all respects to
descriptions of Your personality and activities,
dedicating their lives to these narrations, which
are vibrated by You personally and by Your
pure devotees, certainly conquer Your Lordship,
although You are otherwise unconquerable by
anyone within the three worlds.

After hearing this shloka from Sri Sukadeva,
Sri Suta Goswami Maharaja, though born in a low
class family, heard rmad Bhgavatam with his
body, mind, and speech from paramahasa
Sri Sukadeva, the king of the Vaishnavas. Thus
he underwent all types of saskras and
ultimately accepted the external dress meant
for paramahasas and approved by rmad
Bhgavatam. Unable to find any symptoms in
his external dress that he had undergone any
saskras, the sages, who were mental speculators
and controlled by the illusory energy, through their
worldly godless vision simply understood him as
a non-brahmana, professional outcaste saint. But

Issue no 6, Page 4

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nitya bhgavata-sevay

Sarasvati Devi inspired them to address him as

sinless and professor of the Dharma-stras. Since
foolishness is an impediment on the path of good
fortune to the world, it is not encouraged by Krishna,
who is beyond the jurisdiction of sense perception,
because a gentle favored disciple receives all
confidential mysteries from his spiritual master.
From the book "Brhmaa & Vaishnava" by Srila Bhakti
Siddhnta Saraswati Thakur

BHGAVATA PURA UPROOTS THE DEMONIAC

INFLUENCE IN SOCIETY
Srila Jiva Goswami
Vedic tradition recognizes three ways of teachinglike a ruler, like a friend, and like a lover. The
Vedas speak in an imperative voice, like an
overlord: satya vada dharma cara. "Speak
the truth and be religious" (Taittirya Upaniad
1.l.1). The Vedas do not need to offer logical
reasons for following their instructions. One is
expected to obey without question. The Puras
instruct like a friend, narrating stories with moral
conclusions and providing reasoned explanations
when required. Kvya, or poetic literature,
gives counsel like a beloved lady, speaking
sweetly but indirectly. Instructions are expressed
in an aesthetically pleasing way to attract the
reader or hearer. rmad Bhgavatam uses all
three of these methods to convey its teachings.

Just as a phrase or song becomes more
significant when an eminent personality quotes
or sings it, so the Bhgavatam has increased
in significance because the eminent Sukadeva
Goswami recited it. He narrated the Bhgavatam
in such a marvelous way that both his guru, Srila
Vyasadeva, and his param guru, Sri Narada Muni,
were amazed. They felt as if they had never heard
it before.

The customary etiquette is that a
disciple should neither take a higher seat than
his teachers nor speak as an authority in their
presence. Sukadeva Goswamis speaking rmad
Bhgavatam in the presence of his gurus is
one of the rare exceptions. Because his gurus
consented to it, however, Sri Suka is faultless, as
Srila Vishvanatha Cakravarti Thakura points out in
his commentary on Bhgvatam 1.17.29, which
describes Sukas accepting the speaker's seat. From
the narrations of the Mahbhrata we learn that

Srila Jiva Goswami

Narada and Vyasa were often called upon to address

various audiences on the subjects of karma, yoga, and
jna. They rarely had an opportunity to hear such
an extraordinarily pure Bhgvata discourse. So they
were moved to great ecstasy when the nectar like
juice of topics concerning the Supreme Personality
of Godhead issued from the lips of Sri Suka their
qualified disciple.

rmad Bhgavatams special greatness
is thus due to its unparalleled author, its eminent
speaker, and its elevated audience. No other scripture
in recorded history has ever had such an audience,
except perhaps when Grandfather Bhisma, after the
Kuruksetra War, instructed King Yudhisthira from his
bed of arrows. Bhisma's main purpose, however,
was to convince Yudhisthira to begin managing
his kingdom. By contrast, rmad Bhgvatam was
spoken in just the opposite context: King Parikshit,
having renounced his kingdom, simply wanted to
hear Krishna katha and in this way discharge the only
duty of a dying man. Sri Sukadeva thus had no need
to dilute his narration with talk of lower religious
principles. Therefore rmad Bhgvatam is the most

nitya
bhgavata-sevay
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perfect and complete transcendental scripture. It
does not even depend on the support of the Vedas.

Indeed, the sunlike rmad Bhgavatam is
the very representation of Lord Krishna. The Lord
possesses all good qualities, as Srila Rupa Goswami
explains in Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu (2.1 .l7 ):
nyakn iro-ratna
Krishnas tu bhagavn svayam
yatra nityatay sarve
virjante mah-gu
Lord Sri Krishna, the original Personality of
Godhead, is the crest jewel of all heroes. All
wonderful qualities are eternally present in Him.
Since rmad Bhgvatam is nondifferent
from Krishna, it is also a reservoir of all good qualities.
When Lord Krishna appeared, He destroyed many
demons and protected His saintly devotees. In
the same way, the Bhgavata Pura uproots
the demoniac influence in society and protects
saintly persons with its ambrosial narrations. Other
scriptures speak about fruitive activities, impersonal
Brahman, or yoga, and they may or may not
say something about the transcendental path of
love of Godhead. But the Bhgavatam kicks out
all types of inferior, cheating religion like refuse.
Only explanations of the absolute reality find a
place in its pages the crest jewel of all heroes. All
wonderful qualities are eternally present in Him.
Anuccheda 26.3, ri-Tattva Sandarbha of Srila Jiva Goswami
translation by Satya Narayan Das, Printed at ISKCON Vrindavan,
1995

UNCOMMON MERCY
The story of Rasikananda
Syamananda ordered Rasika to deliver all people,
including kings and their subjects, throughout
Utkala to preach the essence of loving devotion
of the Lord. Following this order, Rasika went to
Rajagada. The king there was known as Vaidyanatha
Bhanja. He had two brothers, namely Chota Raya
Sena and Rautra. These three brothers belonged
to the Surya dynasty and were greatly powerful.
They kept many scholars in their court, who they
engaged in regularly reciting the Vedas and the
rmad Bhgavatam. The three royal brothers
listened to Rasika as he continued explaining the
transcendental knowledge to the Kings family and

Issue no 6, Page 5
the illustrious Bhattacaryas. Listening attentively
they began to shed tears. They then gave up
all their speculative habits and took refuge in
Krishna.

One day Rasika was speaking in King
Vaidyanaths court. As the king and his two
brothers sat listening to the rmad Bhgavatam,
the manager of the kings estates came down there
and stood before the king. The manager, whose
name was Rama-Krishna, was a disciple of Rasika
and a staunch devotee. When he saw the attention
of the king wander from rmad Bhgvatam,
he said, O King, you an ignorant fellow. You
will give up hearing the nectarean topics of
Lord Krishna just to hear from your manager.

Saying this, Rama-Krishna slapped the
face of the king and the king immediately fainted.
Everyone in the assembly was really sorry to see
this, and the kings ministers were about to kill
Rama-Krishna for his impudence. Anticipating
the situation, the king quickly recovered and fell
at the feet of Rama-Krishna. With folded hands
he announced to everyone, I have committed
a sin and for that I was punished. Rasika Prabhu
was discussing topics of Lord Krishna, but I
allowed my attention to wander elsewhere. It is
the verdict of all scriptures that any topics other
than those concerning Lord Krishna are like
poison. That person who allows his attention
to wander away from the topics of Krishna is a
great sinner and is like a dog or a pig that likes
to eat rotten things. I have been rightly served
by my brother Rama-Krishna. He has saved
me and shown proof of his affection for me.
The king then embraced Rama-Krishna
around his neck and to the astonishment of
everyone he began to weep. Then the king
took Rama-Krishnas hand and said,Your
hand must hurt after slapping my hard body.
The king had Rama-Krishna sit by his side, and
they continued to hear about Lord Krishna.
From the book The Story of Rasiknanda by Srila Bhakti
Viksa Swami.

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